Oh, Hopscotch. Though come and gone, the spirit of this year’s festival will surely linger throughout downtown Raleigh for the next year until we do it all over again. Getting the chance to see 35 bands in three days could easily be taken for granted, but I spent more of those 72 hours watching live music than I did sleeping—which is a win in my book.
This year’s Hopscotch Music Festival saw Local Natives play their first show in Raleigh, which gave fans time to let excitement brew and eventually erupt during the band’s stellar set of new and old material. Fans of Local Native’s enchanting harmonies and driving polyrhythms filled Memorial Auditorium on Friday, the second evening of the festival.
Hopscotch started on Thursday. Though I was busy with WKNC work throughout the day, I got to see Boone’s Naked Gods to kick off my festival with their rambling indie-rock.
Thursday evening’s shows started off with electronic-rockers, Body Games, who combine mesmerizing music with entrancing visuals to make for an incredible opening. They covered Michael Jackson’s “Human,” complete with Free Willy visuals, so they won the festival, in my opinion.
After Body Games, I checked out the grippingly minimalistic sounds of Angel Olsen at Fletcher Opera Hall. The theatre was driven to silence by Olsen’s chilling country warble and evocative lyricism.
Next door at Memorial Auditorium was an entirely different scene. Durham’s Sylvan Esso brought a thick, crushing bass, which filled out the immense auditorium, but Amelia Meath’s vocals soared high above the overwhelming instrumentation, creating a transcendental experience for the listeners.
I was immensely excited for Lapalux, who would be playing a set at The Pour House. Unfortunately, his neo-R&B electronic music did come prove as excellent a listening experience live as it does recorded. The show was a bit too static to keep my interest.
From there it was off to a stay at The Lincoln Theatre. Rocker Marnie Stern shredded with reckless abandon as I walked in at almost the end of her set, but she had the crowd wrapped around her fingers. The audience packed in tightly after Stern left the stage.
In her place, Kurt Vile & The Violators brought their hazy-psychedelic rock to the hundreds in attendance. Songs ranged from low-key acoustic driven slacker anthems to wildly energetic jams, making for an excellent (albeit late) first night closing.
Friday was a day filled with Day Parties, offering a slew of local bands that I haven’t seen in ages. Each band brimmed with intensity, ranging from the uncontainable garage rock of Last Year’s Men to the wild metal antics of Valient Thorr at Contemporary Art Museum.
However, as Gross Ghost took the stage at City Plaza the day took a noticeable turn. Though the day was filled with all-out rock n’ roll, the evening comprised mostly electronic-based artists from an array of areas.
Gross Ghost brought infectious tunes to the ever-expanding City Plaza crowd, but former Greenville natives Future Islands turned up the energy for the evening. Their emotionally intense performance weaved in powerful hooks with stirring lyricism and jarring presence, making for an all-encompassing set for listeners.
Holy Ghost! and A-Trak both brought their own new spin on the electronic front. Holy Ghost! delivered 80s-inspired electronica while A-Trak spun a variety of club-bangers that turned City Plaza into a massive dance party.
Following A-Trak, Local Natives took the stage at Memorial Auditorium and filled the room with their enchanting harmonies and driving polyrhythms.
From there it was off to Contemporary Art Museum to dance the rest of the night away to the pulsing beats of Mykki Blanco and the heady productions of Canada’s Ryan Hemsworth.
Saturday started rough, with fans such as myself already exhausted from all of the walking and dancing of the previous nights, but a day filled with shows and free food made recharging much easier.
City Plaza welcomed the wildly energetic Lollipops with indie-rock icons The Breeders and Spiritualized, who took the stage for what felt like an absurdly long amount of time.
This festival-goer was a bit too young to fall into the early 90s-indie craze. However, seeing the subdued folk rock of Saints Apollo and The Dead Tongues provided a welcomed transition into the rest of the very mellow evening.
The standout act of the festival, for me, came from Brooklyn’s San Fermin, a brilliant chamber pop group that filled Fletcher Opera Hall with a gorgeous blend of saxophones, trumpets, harmonies and keys. San Fermin was like a blend of Dirty Projectors, The National and Sufjan Stevens, combining the grandiosity of each act into a unique and compelling output.
Following the performance at the opera hall, I made my way to Deep South for the riveting sounds of Torres before letting the electronic duo, Gent & Jawns, hark the end of the evening.
While the rest of my evening was low-key, Gent & Jawns provided a wall of trap music that drove the entirety of Kings Barcade patrons into dancing their night away.
